"Without the
full count of Wyoming's residents, the state stands to lose a significant amount of federal
dollars which we need to continue our economic and social developments."

Not only is 2000 the beginning of
the new millennium (or the year before a new millennium), it is also a year in which Americans
are asked to stand up and count off. Article 1, Section 2 of our Constitution requires that
the U.S. government conduct a decennial (every ten years) census. This census was first
conducted in 1790 when there were approximately 3.5 million people living in the newly-formed
United States.

The week before Census Day, April 1, 2000, one of two questionnaires will be mailed to all
households in this nation, the long form or the short form. The majority of households will
receive the short form version of the census. Having all citizens of Wyoming fill out and
return the census forms is very important to the state of Wyoming, because many federal funds
are allocated based on the population numbers obtained from the census
(see Figure). The Census Bureau estimates that approximately $182
billion will be distributed annually based on formulas that use census data. Without the
full count of Wyoming’s residents, the state stands to lose a significant amount of federal
dollars which we need to continue our economic and social developments.

Each decennial census is conducted with a new set of questionnaires, refined and reworded in
order to collect a wide range of demographic data. The 2000 Census will be the first since
1880 that will not ask for marital status. Buried deep within
Public Law 106-69, the U.S. Department of Transportation FY99 appropriations bill, is
a statement by the U.S. Senate expressing its dissatisfaction with the Census Bureau
regarding the elimination of marital status from the short questionnaire form. "Census
data showing an exact account of the numbers of persons who are married, single, or divorced
provides critical information which serves as an indicator on the prevalence of marriage in
society . . . It is the sense of the Senate that the United States Census Bureau has wrongfully
decided not to include marital status on the census questionnaire to be distributed to the
majority of Americans . . . " Both forms may currently be viewed on the
Census Bureau web site along with the explanations
for this undertaking.

*Information for this article was taken from the U.S. Census Bureau web site.